The proposed BC Smart Cities pilot project represents the road safety and efficiency components of our Smart Kootenays collaborative work plan developed by the Cities of Nelson, Castlegar, Trail and Rossland during the Government of Canada's Smart Communities Challenge.

Our Challenge Statement:

Our rural region will work together to measurably improve travel decision-making, road safety, and digital access by decreasing accidents, reducing transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions, and building the capacity of all residents to adopt digital technologies.

More specifically, this project will involve the development and beta testing of the Smart Kootenays Digital Mobility (SKDM) platform and will include digital inclusion and open data capacity building efforts focused on technology adoption and the identification, standardization and integration of transportation data, including, but not limited to, road safety (e.g. data generated by sensors on snow plows), and efficiency (e.g. road closures and wait times associated with construction and natural disasters - avalanches, floods, wildfire), both within and between our West Kootenay communities.

While Smart Kootenays partners are actively pursuing other funding sources to advance our shared priorities, this proposed projet will specifically focus on phase 1 development and beta testing of the SKDM platform. Technology partners will construct the mobility platform to allow future integration of ride-load-delivery shary components as well as elements related to low carbon transportation. The overarching goal is to use data and connected technologies to enable our residents to make smart transportation decisions resulting in safe and efficient travel within the context of digital inclusion. Desired outcomes include: safer road and reduced accidents, improved ability to make informed travel choices resulting in completed trips, improved satisfaction levels related to travel safety and efficiency, and reliability. The development of the platform will bring multiple data sources into a single application, including the opening up of new data sources.

The project includes scoping and development of the SDKM app from January to August 2019 and beta testing of the app from September to December 2019. It is anticipated that students from Selkirk College Geographic Information Systems and Nursing programs will participate with support from Selkirk College's Applied Research and Innovation Centre. Key aspects include open data and beta testing, included targeted testing with isolated seniors. A steering committee comprised of local government representatives, economic development practitioners, technology advisors, and Selkirk College researchers will guide the project from January to December 2019.

The City of Nelson is submitting this application on behalf of, and with support from, the communities of the West Kootenay. This region is in the mountainous southeastern part of rural British Columbia and features communities that are unique and rich in cultural diversity.